Process of removing grease or oil from hollow metallic balls.



No. 778,317. I PATENTED 11150. 27, 1904. A. JOHNSTON. 230038301"REMOVING GREASE OR OIL FROM HOLLOW METALLIC BALLS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 2.1903.

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UNITED STATES lPatented December 1904.

ALLEN JOHNSTON, or OTTUMWA, IOWA.

PROCESS Ol? REMOVING GREASE R OIL FROM HOLLOW METALLIC BALLS.

SPEClIFICATION forming part of! Letters Patent No.

778,317, dated December 2'7, 1904;.

Appllcati time June 2,1903. seen No. 159,819.

To all whom it nay concern.-

Be it known that I, ALLEN JOHNSTON, of Ottumwa, Iowa, have invented anew and useful Process of Removing Grease or Oil from Hollow-MetallicBalls, which process is fully set forth in the following specification.

In the formation of hollow metallic balls from sheet-metal blanks in themanner set forth in my application for patent, Serial No. 101,419, filedApril 4:, 1902, as well as in the subsequent operations of truing,condensing, and polishing such balls, as set forth in my Patents Nos.698,707, 7 09,409, and 7 20,436, it has been found necessary, atleastfor the obtainment of satisfactory results and to avoid wear uponand injury to the dies and other mechanism employed, to liberally applygrease and oil to the metal being operated upon or to the operatingdevices or parts, or to both. Acertain quantity of this oil or greasenot only adheres to the exterior surface of the completed ball, but isinclosed within the ball. For certain uses of the balls the presence ofthis oil or grease is an advantage, rendering the ball self-lubricating,as described and claimed in my application filed June 2, 1903, SerialNo. 159,820; but for other uses of the balls the presence of any oil orgrease either on the exterior or the interior thereof--that on theinterior finding its way to the exterior through the small cracks,crevices, or scams formed where the edges of the blank come togetherisobjectionable and a disadvantage. For example, when used forantifriction purposes it-is desirable in some instances that the ballsbe entirely free from oil or grease, and in many. uses other than forbearing purposes the presence of oil or grease would be highlyobjectionable. Furthermore, in cases where it is desirable to finish theballs, as by plating or lacquering, the presence of oil or grease wouldprevent or interfere with the attainment of the desired finish.

My present invention is a process of removing oil or grease both fromthe exterior and interior of hollow metallic balls, the principal stepthereof consisting in subjecting the balls to heat sufficient to burnoff or otherwise remove said oil'or grease. In case the balls areheavily coated with solidified oil or grease the bulk of the latter willof course upon liquefying run off of or out of the balls, that remainingbeing burned off as the heat increases. Theheating of the balls causesthem to expand slightly, spreading and opening the seams, so that theexterior heat can more readily pass into the balls and the containedgrease or oil be more readily removed. As the heat thus employed darkensor discolors the balls and as it. is desirable for some uses that theballs be bright "and polished, the heating operation is in such casesfollowed by a polishing step,

the polishing being effected by ratt'ing or in any other suitableway,-as by shutting off the ,burner and continuing to revolve the drumor in any other suitable way. l

The invention will be further described, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figures 1 to 5 illustrate themanufacture of a hollow ball from a square sheet-metal blank, Fig. 1being a plan of the blank, Fig. 2 an elevation showing the blank-struckup into cup form, Fig. 8 a plan of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 a vertical section online 4 4 ofFig. 3, and Fig. 5 a plan of a completed ball. Fig. 6 is atransverse section, and Fig. 7 a longitudinal section, through atumbling screen and burner for subjectingthe balls to the required heat.

10, Fig. 1, is a square blank, which is first bent to-th'e shapeof cup11, Fig. 2, by the use of suitable dies. This cup is next reduced tospherical shape, Fig. 5', by the use of suitable dies which act to bringthe points or apices 12 together, the edges thereof forming seams 13,Fig. 5. Although these seams are closed in the sense that the edgesforming the same fit closely together, they are not air or liquid tight,and oil or grease accumulating on the interior surface of the ballduring the operation of forming or of polishing, condensing, orotherwise finishing the same will, '11 not removed, ooze out through theseam or seams.

In Figs. 6 and 7, 15 is a rotary tumbling screen or drum,which may bedriven by power or rotated by a handle 16. The balls from which greaseor oil is to be removed are placed in the drum, agitated by the rotationthereof, and heated by a gas-air burner 17 beneath the drum to atemperature sufiicien't to burn off all oil or grease from both theinterior and exterior surfaces of the balls. Where it is desired thatthe balls shall be bright, they are subjected to a polishing operationeither before or after being removed from the tumbling-screen.

While Figs. 6 and 7 show a convenient form of apparatus for subjectingthe balls to heat, any other suitable arrangement may be employed.

What I claim is e 1. The herein-described process of removing greasefrom hollow balls having a closed seam or seams in its walls, whichconsists in expanding or opening said seam or seams by the applicationof heat, whereby the contained grease will be converted to a liquid orgas and permitted to escape, and then burning the grease.

2. The herein-described process of removing grease from hollow hallshaving a closed seam or seams in its walls, which consists in expandingor opening said seam or seams by the application of heat, whereby thecontained grease will be converted to a liquid or gas and permitted toescape, then burning the grease, and finally polishing the ball.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALLEN JOHNSTON.

\Vitncsses:

R. W. FUNK, J. B. -l\ [OWREY.

